Goshen Community Schools

We are a C.L.A.S.S. (Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students) school. The C.L.A.S.S. framework encompasses many aspects of the school, including classroom environment, curriculum, procedures for behavior, and brain research. Training is based upon brain research, including how the brain learns and develops in children and adults. Teachers and staff are trained in making connections with students in academics as well as social and emotional learning. We strive to develop the whole child, focusing on successes and connecting to lifelines. We believe that given the proper support and guidance, all citizens have the ability to be productive contributors to the world.

School Community Activities – The PTO and Parkside Staff partner together to provide monthly family activities. The monthly activities encourage students and their families to be involved in the school community. Some of our favorites include the Ice Cream Social, BINGO Night, Dia del Nino, and our Music Program.

Clubs – Students have opportunities to participate in various clubs offered throughout the school year. These include Chess Club, Running Club, 4-H, Robotics, Ambassadors, as well as the Elementary Soccer and Track teams.

Fundraiser – Our school librarian, Mrs. Richer, hosts a Scholastic Book Fair twice each year. Students and families are able to purchase new books and fun reading accessories (pointers, bookmarks, and reading flashlights!)  The funds earned through the book fair are used to purchase new materials for the school library. The PTO also hosts regular fundraisers to support students. One of our most famous fundraisers is our Annual Rose Sale. The profit from this almost 100-year tradition is donated to the school in order to purchase new recess equipment, fund grade-level field trips, and purchase classroom ‘wish list’ supplies. The PTO also supports the school through their annual Read-A-Thon fundraiser, Name-the-Drive fundraiser, and end-of-year Penny War!

Spirit Days – We love to celebrate! Throughout the school year, we have extra special dress-up days and school spirit weeks! A longstanding tradition is our celebration of March Madness. Each week is a different theme – Rock Stars, Favorite Story Character, Color Days – the list is endless. These special days bring lots of extra smiles into the building!

Student Leadership – We believe all students are leaders! All Parkside staff members support students in developing strong leadership skills by building relationships with each student. We focus on the C.L.A.S.S. Lifelines to define, develop, and teach others what strong relationships, communication, and leadership look like in action.  Our Student Ambassador Program serves as the foundation of our student-driven culture. Each classroom has at least two student ambassadors who serve as student coaches throughout the school year. Each year, our student ambassadors highlight the “morning meet and greet” as one of their favorite memories. Each Ambassador is responsible for walking their partner class to their homeroom, greeting them at the door with a fist bump or high-five, and wishing one another a great day of learning! Student leadership opportunities also include the announcement team and recycling crew.

All Parkside students have access to an equitable, data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program ensuring academic, career, and social/ emotional development. Simply stated, our school counseling program supports a student learning environment that empowers students and staff to be self-motivated, transformative leaders! In order to support this vision, our school counselor supports all Parkside students through Tier 1 classroom life skill lessons. Additionally, she regularly supports Tier 2 needs through both small group and/ or 1:1 support services. The Parkside Office Staff regularly collaborates with a plethora of Goshen/ Elkhart County resources in order to support students/ families with Tier 3 needs. Our ultimate school goal is to develop life-long learners who are prepared for post-secondary opportunities (college and/ or career-ready) and can positively contribute to our world.

Parkside is a true neighborhood school, and we have the support of parents and teachers who work together to make the best community for our school.

Contact Information:
Nicole Boyd Lehman – Chairperson
ParksidePTO574@gmail.com

Activities – Monthly activities for Parkside families are sponsored with support from the PTO.  The school year starts with an ice cream social on the playground for Parkside families. The PTO supports the school administration on Generosity Day, the Christmas program, and the end-of-the-year picnic.  Throughout the year, they offer teachers support by funding field trips, with birthday cards & presents, and bringing in snacks & special treats.

Meetings – Second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the school cafeteria.